Research using cancer cell lines demonstrated that supplementing standard epigenetic therapy with vitamin C enhanced the drug's antineoplastic action, according to a report in the Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences.1

In an ongoing pilot clinical trial in Copenhagen, Denmark, investigators are combining vitamin C with azacitidine, the standard-of-care therapy for myeloid dysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The approach would also correct a vitamin C deficiency, which occurs in many patients with cancer.

If the pilot trial is successful, the investigators plan a larger trial to explore the potential of this strategy to improve treatments for AML and MDS.

A blinded clinical trial that measures azacitidine combined with vitamin C vs placebo would be needed to validate any benefits of adding vitamin C to a treatment. Furthermore, there is no evidence that these benefits would work for other cancers or other chemotherapies.

Results of the ENESTop study demonstrate the potential for patients with CML who had deep molecular response to achieve long-term treatment-free remission (TFR) after second-line nilotinib, increasing the focus of ...